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Maserati ditches hydraulic steering to add semi-autonomous driver aids

Related: We obsessively covered the Frankfurt Motor Show — here's our complete coverage FRANKFURT, Germany — One of the distinctive aspects of modern Maseratis has been the continued use of hydraulic-assisted power steering. The company used it on the entire lineup from the Ghibli sedan to the GranTurismo sports coupe, touting in press releases that in comparison to now-common electric power steering, it "prevents unpleasantly artificial assistance when the driver turns the wheel quickly." Priorities appear to have changed, though, as the 2018 Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante are all going with electric steering. Those priorities would be adding a gaggle of semi-autonomous driving assists, which as Maserati CEO Reid Bigland confirmed, require electric power steering to fully implement. Specifically, the highway lane-centering, lane-keeping assist and blind-spot assist functions that can steer for you if necessary. Other new semi-autonomous functions include sign recognition, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. This may come as a disappointment to die-hard Maserati fans, but at the very least, the GranTurismo and GranCabrio sports cars still retain the classic hydraulic steering system. They also don't get the semi-autonomous features, but let's face it, those cars are ones you want to always be driving. As for the rest of the lineup, Bigland insisted the steering is still good. Of course you wouldn't expect anything less from the company's CEO. We'll reserve judgement until driving a 2018 Maserati ( that isn't a GranTurismo) to see if the new steering avoids being "unpleasantly artificial." Related Video:

2024 Maserati GranTurismo PrimaSerie 75th Anniversary edition revealed

Maserati revealed the new GranTurismo’s interior earlier this week — but wait, thereÂ’s more. Just shown is a special launch edition of the GranTurismo that goes by PrimaSerie. If you recall the MC20 CieloÂ’s reveal, that model was also launched with a PrimaSerie special edition model. This GranTurismo follows the trend, but in a slightly different package. To celebrate 75 years of Maserati, this modelÂ’s full, official name is the PrimaSerie 75th Anniversary. In keeping with the “75” theme, Maserati plans on building four sets of 75 matching cars — each of the four sets has its own, unique appearance. That means there will be a total of 300 GranTurismo PrimaSerie models. Pictured here are the two Trofeo models — powered by MaseratiÂ’s Nettuno V6 engine — that will be available. The gray car is technically Grigio Lamiera Matte, and the black car is finished in a paint Maserati calls Nero Scarabeo Matte. If you opt for the Grigio Lamiera PrimaSerie, itÂ’s paired with Corse Red accents on the logos, scripts, air vents, wheels and interior stitching. The 75th anniversary logo can be seen on the wheels, and if you look inside, itÂ’ll be on the headrests, too. Go for the matte black option, and this one is paired with Mint Green accents all over the exterior and interior. Despite the paint color of the cars being rather subtle shades, all the colorful accents on these special editions make them not-so-subtle. Not pictured yet are the Folgore PrimaSerie options. Maserati says the two special editions for the electric GranTurismo will be painted in either Rame (a copper-like color) or Blu Inchiostro (blue). Pricing isnÂ’t out for these PrimaSerie models, but Maserati allows you to express interest for the Trofeo models on its website. Opting for one of the launch editions would make you one of the first owners of the redesigned GranTurismo when it comes out. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore revealed

Stellantis ready to kill brands and fix U.S. problems, CEO Tavares says

  MILAN — Stellantis is taking steps to fix weak margins and high inventory at its U.S. operations and will not hesitate to axe underperforming brands in its sprawling portfolio, its chief executive Carlos Tavares said on Thursday. The warning for lossmaking brands is a turnaround for Tavares, who has maintained since Stellantis was created in 2021 from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA that all of its 14 brands including Maserati, Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep have a future. "If they don't make money, we'll shut them down," Carlos Tavares told reporters after the world's No. 4 automaker delivered worse-than-expected first-half results, sending its shares down as much as 10%. "We cannot afford to have brands that do not make money." The automaker now also considers China's Leapmotor as its 15th brand, after it agreed to a broad cooperation with the group. Stellantis does not release figures for individual brands, except for Maserati which reported an 82 million euro adjusted operating loss in the first half. Some analysts say Maserati could possibly be a target for a sale by Stellantis, while other brands such as Lancia or DS might be at risk of being scrapped given their marginal contribution to the group's overall sales. Stellantis' Milan-listed shares were down as much as 12.5% on Thursday, hitting their lowest since August 2023. That brings the loss for the year so far to 22%, making them the worst performer among the major European automakers. Few automotive brands have been killed off since General Motors ditched the unprofitable Saturn and Pontiac during a U.S. government-led bankruptcy in the global financial crisis in 2008. Tavares is under pressure to revive flagging margins and sales and cut inventory in the United States as Stellantis bets on the launch of 20 new models this year which it hopes will boost profitability. Recent poor results from global carmakers have heightened worries about a weakening outlook for sales across major markets such as the U.S., whilst they also juggle an expensive transition to electric vehicles and growing competition from cheaper Chinese rivals. Japan's Nissan Motor saw first-quarter profit almost completely wiped out on Thursday and slashed its annual outlook, as deep discounting in the United States shredded its margins. Tavares said he would be working through the summer with his U.S. team on how to improve performance and cut inventory.